User Interviews
Creating a User Interview Plan for Testing New Features
This prompt guides teams in developing a user interview plan specifically for gathering feedback on new or experimental features. It ensures interviews are structured to collect actionable insights about usability, desirability, and potential areas for improvement, focusing on real user reactions and suggestions.
Responsible:
Product Management
Accountable, Informed or Consulted:
Product, Design, Marketing, Customer Success
THE PREP
Creating effective prompts involves tailoring them with detailed, relevant information and uploading documents that provide the best context. Prompts act as a framework to guide the response, but specificity and customization ensure the most accurate and helpful results. Use these prep tips to get the most out of this prompt:
Define the key goals for testing the feature (e.g., usability, desirability, potential issues).
Prepare a demo or prototype of the feature to present during the interview.
Identify the target audience or user segment that will participate in the interviews.
THE PROMPT
Help create a user interview plan for testing a new feature in [product/service name]. Include:
A clear explanation of the feature to introduce it to participants without leading their responses.
Questions to explore first impressions and emotional reactions (e.g., 'What’s your initial thought about this feature?').
Usability-focused questions to identify potential challenges (e.g., 'Were there any parts of the feature that felt unclear or difficult to use?').
Future-focused questions to gather suggestions for improvement (e.g., 'What would you change or add to make this feature more useful for you?').
Ensure the plan includes time for free-form feedback at the end of the session. If further context about the feature or user segment is needed, ask clarifying questions to refine the plan.
Bonus Add-On Prompts
Suggest ways to encourage users to share honest opinions about a new feature during the interview.
Develop probing questions to explore specific user frustrations or confusion with the feature.
Propose techniques to test how the feature fits into the user’s current workflows.
Use AI responsibly by verifying its outputs, as it may occasionally generate inaccurate or incomplete information. Treat AI as a tool to support your decision-making, ensuring human oversight and professional judgment for critical or sensitive use cases.
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE
Adapt the script for features at different development stages (e.g., concept vs. MVP).
Include scenario-based tasks to test how users interact with the feature in context.
Focus questions on specific personas most likely to use the feature.
Tailor questions to explore emotional and practical responses to the feature.
Use comparative questions to evaluate how the new feature performs against existing alternatives.
WHEN TO USE
When gathering feedback on new features before launch.
To refine prototypes or MVPs based on real user input.
During usability testing sessions to identify potential improvements.
WHEN NOT TO USE
If no feature details or prototypes are ready for review.
When testing overall product satisfaction rather than a specific feature.